Written by Kim Furlow, communications manager for the Institute for Public Health
The Center for Dissemination & Implementation at the Institute for Public Health has awarded Pilot Funding to four research studies in order to enhance opportunities in dissemination and implementation science. Our center’s Pilot Grants fund up to $40,000 in direct costs for one year. Applicants must be Faculty Scholars of the Institute for Public Health.
Pilot funding is prioritized for proposals that address sexually transmitted infections, HIV, COVID-19, or antimicrobial stewardship – the three research focus areas of our center’s Infectious Disease – Dissemination and Implementation Science (IDDI) Initiative.
The following projects recently received funding:
Project: Implementation of a sustainable STI screening tool in the pediatric emergency department
Primary Investigator: Jane Alyce Hunt, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Summary: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to disproportionately affect adolescents. Adolescents have many barriers to sexual health care, and the emergency department (ED) provides an opportunity to provide this care. This project aims to evaluate barriers to program sustainability and to re-implement the program using evidence-based methods of implementation that increase the use of the STI screening program.
Project: Identifying Implementation Strategies to Improve Access to Mental Health Services for Youth
Primary Investigators: Byron Powell, PhD, Associate Professor, Brown School and Dani Adams, PhD, post-doctoral trainee
Summary: One in five adolescents in the United States has a mental health disorder, yet less than half receive treatment. To understand the barriers and facilitators for families attempting to access mental health services, this project team will research mental health clinics in St. Louis that provide treatment to Medicaid-enrolled youth. In collaboration with these clinics, the project team will develop implementation strategies to address identified barriers and facilitators.
Project: The Preferences for Antiretroviral therapy Care (PAC) Study
Primary Investigator: Aditi Ramakrishnan, MD, Assistant Professor, School of Medicine
Summary: To better understand and reduce HIV transmission, and by applying best-worst scaling methodology, this study aims to characterize preferences for service delivery among persons living with HIV who have experienced a lapse in care or are lost to follow-up. Findings from this multi-site study will be used to align health care services with patient preference, ultimately improving retention in HIV care.
Project: Implementing Safety Planning Among 988-Network Crisis Centers and Counselors
Primary Investigator: Morgan Shields, PhD, Assistant Professor, Brown School
Summary: Suicide has increased significantly in recent decades, with rates inversely associated with socioeconomic status. The 988 crisis number was implemented in July 2022 as one method to address these trends and help reduce suicide rates. In partnership with a large local behavioral health provider in Missouri, this project team will conduct a sequential exploratory and developmental study to understand if, why, and how 988 crisis centers and counselors are responsive to and using the 988 policy of safety planning, an evidence-based practice.
Read more about Center for D&I funding opportunities.
The Center for Dissemination & Implementation at the Institute for Public Health advances the growing body of dissemination & implementation research methods by building training opportunities and catalyzing newly applied D&I research across health specialties. The center’s work aims to ensure that the most effective services are delivered in clinical and public health settings.